I always associate the harmonica or mouth organ to blues music, which I like, but I'm a little surprised to see them mentioned on here, a site which I associate with traditional music. What is the history of such music on the harmonica?I have one myself but I'm not much of a player.

_________________And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')

There's not a lot to hear, but you could do worse than search "harmonica" and "itm harmonica" on this site.

_________________And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')

Brendan Power also does a lovely job on The Bucks here. He's playing a blues harp on this clip.

_________________And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')

C.S. Lewis

Last edited by s1m0n on Tue May 09, 2017 4:05 am, edited 1 time in total.

Sort of interesting though he turned up for the Willie Clancy harmonica recital last year. All players present, John & Pip Murphy, Rick Epping, Mick Kinsella, Johny Hehir, Noel Battle, were playing together a lot of the time, making up sets of tunes on the spot. Brendan sat there smiling, looking slightly awkward and not playing like he didn't know the tunes. It was a bit strange.

..;.while Brendan sat there smiling and looking slightly awkward not playing like he didn't know the tunes.

Yeah. I think he's a soloist. I don't think he came from session culture, and I don't think he's comfortable - or, frankly, competent - jamming ad lib with other musicians. If you think that's the core skill in ITM (and you're not entirely wrong), than you likely have no time for him.

I think he plays so many different harps, and tunings, that everything he does is painstakingly arranged.

_________________And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')

It's not a matter of not having time or regard for his playing, it just surprised me. The awkwardness of it, all the lads were playing away and he just sat there, doing his solo pieces when called upon but never joining in. It's not a matter of unusual tunes being played or anything like and he has recorded with Rick&Mick in Iron Lung so there must be a common repertoire there.

I suspect that what he does with others is well rehearsed, but I don't know anything. I owned his first record and played it a lot, but know little else about his playing. I do know that he didn't grow up in the tradition.

_________________And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')

Yeah. I'm sure that's the sort of gig in which BP is least useful. I don't think he can play much at all impromptu, but playing en ensemble is only about a century old in the tradition. Before that, musicians usually played solo, and often it was a well-prepared party-piece played before the kitchen fire. Think of Power in that tradition. He's not a session musician, and there's small point in judging him as one. That's not what he is.

_________________And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')

Am I crazy, or did you just delete a post while I was responding to it?

_________________And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')

I thought I was straying into my own experiences too much and thought the better of it.

Fair enough. I've done the same.

_________________And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')